Silent Tears
by MagicLover1001
Summary: Lucy and her brother Sting have a secret that they can't tell anyone. Even though they have two years left until they can tell everyone their secret, Lucy isn't sure that she will be able to hold out. Especially when her best friend Natsu keeps trying to get her to spill it.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Lucy groaned at the sound of her alarm clock going off. Not only did she want to sleep in more, but her ribs hurt from the stretch her body made to turn off the loud noise. She kept her eyes closed as she wrapped her blankets closer to her body. The feeling of a cold wet nose pressing against her cheek made her jump.

"Oh Plue, why couldn't you just let me sleep a little more," Lucy yawned as she got out of bed.

Her yellow lab barked as he ran around her feet. She laughed at him until she saw her reflection in the mirror. Lightly she brought her hand to her eye and touched the skin. A hiss escaped her lips as pain radiated from the light pressure on the black and blue flesh. Lucy's mind was brought back to the present when Plue started to growl at her door.

"Plue, no. Go in the bathroom now," she hissed afraid that her dog would anger the person on the other side of the door.

Plue looked at her before he scampered to the bathroom with his tail in between his legs.

"Morning dad," Lucy said with fake smile. "I hope you slept well last night."

"I was until you're blasted alarm woke me up," Jude replied, "Where's your brother?"

Lucy quickly said, "He had to leave early for a school project."

"When you see him at school, make sure you tell him that he needs to see me when he gets home," he said it seemed like he was about to leave when he suddenly stopped. "I thought I told you that your stupid dog is supposed to stay outside!"

"He does during the day, and mom used to let me have him in my room at night," Lucy snapped back.

Her eyes went wide when she saw his face turn red. Lucy backed up and put her hands in front of her face as she said over and over again, "I'm sorry, please forgive me."

She winced in pain as she felt him grab her hair. Lucy heard Plue bark and growl as her father tugged her into the hallway and slam her door shut.

"Your mother might have let you do whatever the hell you wanted, but she is dead now. She left me with two ungrateful brats to take care of and one of them has a disgusting mutt that I have to feed as well!" Jude yelled while he twisted her arm and pinned her to the ground. "And these ungrateful brats couldn't even keep the house clean or have dinner ready for when I returned from my business trip. That bastard son of mine didn't even have the courtesy to be here to welcome me home either. All I had was my bad mouthed daughter."

Lucy didn't dare make a sound while her father unleashed another round of anger on her. She bit her lip to keep quiet when she felt something in her arm snap. When he released her arm she cradled it to her chest before she curled up into a ball so that she could protect her arm and bruised ribs from his kicks. When he was finished Lucy waited to hear his door open and close before she even dared to get up.

She thought that the pain she felt on her ribs was bad, but the pain in her arm hurt a hundred times more. When she got back to her room Lucy hurried into her bathroom. With a deep breath she took her tank top off and put on a sports bra on. Tears were streaming down her face from pain as she once again had to move her arm through her white tank top. Quickly Lucy put on her makeup to cover up the black eye her father had given her the night before. It was hard with one hand, but she unfortunately had lots of practice. Plue whined when he came up to the counter and nudged her leg.

"I'm okay Plue," Lucy whispered as she finished her makeup.

She then shimmied off her pajama shorts and went to her dresser to put on a clean pair of underwear and pajama pants. Lucy was grateful that her school dress code was so lax that she could wear pajama pants to school. It wasn't too often that her father beat her so bad that she couldn't use one of her arms, but when he did she usually had to wear pajamas until she could get her arm looked at. Carefully she put a jacket on and zipped it up. She put her right hand in the pocket to try and keep her most likely broken arm in place.

Quietly Lucy grabbed her stuff for school and Plue's leash.

"We need to be quiet now Plue, we don't want dad to hear us right?" Lucy said as she clipped his leash to his collar.

Plue licked her hand to let her know that he understood. Lucy poked her head out her door to make sure that her father wasn't in sight before they left her room. When she was close to the front door she pulled her cell phone out. She went into her contacts and dialed her brother's number.

The phone rang twice before they answered, "Lucy, why are you calling me? You know I'm on a class trip."

"I know, but dad came back earlier than we thought and he's pissed."

"Shit, does he know that I'm not even in town?"

"No, I covered for you," Lucy took a deep breath as she opened her car door. Plue hopped in and went to go sit in the passenger seat as Lucy tossed her stuff down on the floor in front of him. "I think he broke my arm though Sting."

"Fuck, I'll try to find out if I can get home tonight instead of tomorrow," Sting said.

"Are you sure? I know that this trip is part of your grade."

"I can't let my little sister take everything he has to dish out on her own," he replied.

"You're only older than me by three minutes," Lucy whined before she took a sharp breath.

"I'm definitely coming home," Sting said his voice serious.

"See you tonight," Lucy said about to hang up while she started the car.

"Wait, how bad are you?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Lucy said.

"You do know that it's going to be harder to hide it from Natsu right? I can't tell you how many times I've had him corner me at school trying to find out how you got a bruise you forgot to cover up."

"I know, I'll just say that I tripped over Plue and fell down the stairs. Do you know which emergency room we haven't been to in a while?" Lucy asked.

"The one downtown," Sting sighed. "Try to make sure our friends stay in the dark. Remember what happened last time when we tried to get help."

Lucy shuddered at the memory as she pulled out of the driveway. Their dad was so furious that he starved them for week with harsh beatings.

"Just two more years and we can be free from him," Lucy sighed. "I miss you."

"I'll see you tonight. This time I'll take the hits."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Okay Miss Heartfilia, in three months come back and get the cast removed," the doctor said looking at her chart with a slight frown on her face. "Are you sure you don't want me to contact your father?"

"Yes, he's overseas on a business trip so you won't be able to reach him. I already talked to my brother and he is on his way home from his class trip," Lucy replied with a fake smile.

"Okay, the nurse should be by with a slip for school to excuse any classes you missed."

"Thanks," Lucy said while she put her jacket on. She winced as she then maneuvered it into the sling. "She'll also stop by with prescription for some pain medicine."

Lucy nodded her head to the doctor. Her phone buzzed in her jacket pocket again letting her know that she received another text. They were all from Natsu.

 **Hey where are you?~N**

 **Why aren't you in class?~N**

 **Are you sick?~N**

 **Do you need anything?~N**

 **Class is sooooo boring without you.~N**

 **Please tell me you will be here later today. I can't go through a day of school without you.~N**

 **That's it, if your sick I'm ditching to hang out with you. ~N**

Lucy's eyes widened at the last text afraid that he was already on his way to her house. God only knows what her dad would do to her if he came by without her there.

 **Sorry class is so boring without me. Maybe if you actually listened to the teacher it wouldn't be so boring. I'll be there in thirty minutes. ~L**

 **I don't know if I can last thirty more minutes of school without you. Why aren't you here?~N**

Lucy debated whether or not she should tell him now or when she got to school.

 **Luce, you okay?~N**

 **Yeah I'm fine Natsu. I just had to stop by somewhere before I went to school. There was an incident with Plue this morning. I'll see you when I get to school.~L**

 **What happened? ~N**

 **I'll tell you when I get to school.~L**

 **No, I want to know now.~N**

She knew that he would continue to bug her on the subject until she would want to cave and tell him the truth of what Sting and her are living with. Instead of letting him continue to pester her Lucy decided that the best thing to do would be to distract him.

 **I think we need to postpone our pizza and movie night to a couple weeks from now.~L**

 **What why?~N**

 **Now I'm hungry for pizza.~N**

 **Natsu, really all you got from that is you're hungry for pizza?~L**

 **I know, let's ditch school and get pizza. ~N**

 **You know I can't do that. ~L**

 **But school sucks.~N**

"Here is your note and your prescription," the nurse said handing her the two pieces of paper.

"Thanks," Lucy said getting ready to go.

"Tell your brother that I hope his leg healed up well," she added.

Lucy froze in place as she started to put her backpack on. She looked at the nurse again as all the color drained from her face.

"You have a very memorable face," the nurse answered her unanswered question. "And it's not everyday that you see a break that bad and someone not screaming out in pain."

Not wanting to be around the nurse any longer Lucy hurried out of the room and to the exit. She smiled when she saw Plue wag his tail at seeing her. Lucy walked over to the security guard who was kind enough to watch Plue for her.

"Thanks for looking after my dog while I got treated," Lucy smiled as she took hold of Plue's leash.

"No problem," he said "He is a great dog."

"He sure is," Lucy said before heading to her car.

Plue whined as he sniffed her arm that was in the sling. A tear escaped her eyes when she approached her car. The truth was Lucy wasn't sure if she could take two more years of her father's abuse. She wasn't just afraid for her life, but also her brother's and her dog. The only person she felt safe around was Natsu and it was tearing her apart inside hiding everything from him. Deep down she felt like Natsu suspected what was going on, but didn't try to push her or Sting too far.

"I really wish that I can tell him Plue," Lucy said quickly wiping the tear from her face.

The drive to school seemed to blur together and before she knew it she was sitting in her car in the school parking lot. Lucy sighed when she struggled to pull her keys from the ignition. When she opened her door she waited for Plue to get out before she locked it.

"Okay Plue, first we have to sneak you into Gildarts' classroom before I can go to the office," Lucy whispered.

"Or I can just take him for you," a rough time voice said behind her causing her to jump.

"Gildarts, I...I didn't...see you there," Lucy stuttered.

"Sorry I scared ya kid," he replied.

"It's okay, and thanks for taking Plue again," she replied giving him the leash.

"I like having him in the classroom. Makes things interesting with some of the kids."

Lucy nodded her head avoiding his quiet question of what happened to her arm. She hurried to the office and waited for them to process everything for her.

"You and your brother sure like to be late some days," the secretary said handing Lucy the tardy pass.

"Well, some days we don't like to get out of bed so we oversleep," Lucy lied. The truth was that when their father was home sometimes it took them twice as long to get ready from the pain in their bodies.

"Don't we all," she replied giving her a small smile.

Lucy gave her a small smile before she left. Once in the hallway she went to her locker. She kept her eye out for the speck of pink hair she was hoping to spot. Her throat started to tighten up when she thought about the events of that morning.

"Lucy! I'm so happy that you're here!" Levy yelled hugging her tight.

Tears stung her eyes as she held back her cry in pain.

"Oi shrimp you're hurting her," Gajeel said pulling her off of Levy.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry Lucy," Levy said tears brimming in her eyes. "I didn't see."

"It's okay," Lucy said with a smile. Her cheeks were beginning to hurt from all the false smiles she was giving everyone today.

When her chocolate brown eyes met onyx her heart skipped a beat. She was glad that she had so much makeup on so that no one noticed her blush. Lucy bit her lip when she saw his eyes narrow down on her arm.

"I uh...I tripped of Plue this morning and fell down the stairs," Lucy laughed trying to play it off like it was nothing.

Natsu gave her a look that he wasn't buying it, but didn't say anything. Instead he raised his eyebrow at her and cupped her cheek. She bit her lip at pain from the slight touch and instead rushed to his chest. Deep down Lucy had a feeling that Natsu knew what was going on, but for now all she needed was a warm hug from him. Whenever Lucy was feeling scared she always felt safe in his arms and after this morning she really needed his comfort.

"What really happened?" Natsu asked wrapping his arms around her waist.

"I broke my arm."

"No duh Sherlock, but how?" Natsu said taking a step back.

"I...hit some things when I fell," Lucy said as the bell rang. "I'll see you in P.E."

Before she could get far Natsu grabbed her hand and squeezed it. His eyes held concern in them as she gave him a sad smile.

After taking a few steps away from him she whispered, "I wish I could tell you the truth."

"What was that?" Lisanna asked.

Lucy looked surprised as she shifted her backpack. "Oh, I said I hope I don't see Cobra today. I mean his obsession with me is starting to freak me out a little."

"Well, I doubt he will try anything as long as Nastu or your brother are around," Lisanna said taking a couple books from Lucy. "I'll carry these for you."

"Thanks Lisanna," Lucy said. "Now it's off to our favorite class."

"I think you have us confused with the guys and Erza."

Lucy laughed as she followed Lisanna to the gym.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Lucy sighed as she put her stuff in her gym locker. Slowly she bent down and pulled her pants off. With a deep breath she stepped out and put the shorts on. Lucy couldn't help but whimper as she took her sweatshirt and t-shirt off. She hid her front in the corner while her friends changed into their clothes around her. When she was done her body screamed in pain but she ignored it. She was the last one in the locker room.

The sun shined bright outside and she heard laughter as she opened the locker room door.

"It's about time you got out here," Natsu said running up to her. He cupped her face before picking her up.

"Natsu put me down," Lucy laughed as he ran over to where the teacher was.

"But it's fun to carry you," Natsu laughed at her squeal when he jumped.

"Natsu put Lucy down," Gray yelled.

"But she likes being in my arms," he replied.

Lucy couldn't help but blush at his statement since it was true. Whenever she was having a bad day she knew that a hug from Natsu would turn her mood around. In his arms Lucy knew that she was safe and loved. The way that he put her first avid everything was just one of the many things that made her fall in love with him.

She saw that Gray was about to say something when they heard the teacher's whistle. Lucy groaned when Natsu set her down and grabbed hold of his hand. He paused squeezing her hand back before narrowing his eyes to something behind her. When she glanced over her shoulder she saw that Cobra was looking at her while licking his lips. His teacher yelled at him to get on his spot and he did it while walking backwards. Lucy shivered before her grip on Natsu tightened.

"It's okay Luce, I'm here for you," Natsu said before getting to his spot.

An hour into their two hour gym class Lucy groaned. Levy and Lisanna looked up at her with a questioning look.

"Who thought that a block schedule where certain classes on certain days was a brilliant idea," Lucy whined. "I mean do we really need to run around for two hours?"

"Hey, don't complain when you got out of class today," Levy said pointing at her arm.

"But I'm bored."

"Levy, Lisanna go collect the sport equipment we need," their teacher barked.

"I'll come with," Lucy said getting up.

Lucy followed behind her friends as she thought about what she should do tonight. If Sting wasn't able to leave his trip she would have to come up with another lie as to why he wasn't home. She also needed to see if Natsu would let Plue stay at his house for a while. It was always best for everyone and her dog that he wasn't home with her dad there. Last time Sting tried to stand up to their father to protect Plue his leg ended up getting severely broken.

While lost in her thoughts Lucy didn't hear someone come up behind her. By the time she noticed they had covered her mouth and wrapped an arm around her waist. Lucy tried to yell out to her friends, but the hand prevented her from making any noise. The arm around her waist tightened against her bruised ribs causing a tear to trickle from her eye.

"It's about time I found you alone," she heard a rough voice whisper in her ear. "It's so annoying how that pink haired guy and that stupid brother of yours won't let you out of their sight. I mean it's not as if you belong to them since you belong to me."

Panic went through Lucy's mind as she realized it was Cobra who had her. She tried to get out of his grip, but it was useless. Lucy watched as her friends disappeared while Cobra carried her to another part of the school. By the time Cobra stopped moving she didn't know where she was in the school. She knew that there were working to expand it and didn't have the chance to fill in the new buildings yet.

"What do you want?" Lucy asked once he removed his hand from her mouth.

"You of course," Cobra laughed opening a door. "I just need to hide you until I can actually have you. I can already picture that friend of yours panicking when he realises you're not there. Him and your brother always have to ruin my fun when it comes to you. Today will be the day that you will be mine. In the meantime you just have to stay in this...I think it's supposed to be a janitor's closet. See you later sweet stuff."

Cobra shoved Lucy into the room and shut the door before she could get back up. When she went to go open it she found out that it was locked. It was then that she realised that the room was completely dark. Her body started to shake as her fear of the dark started to consume her. Lucy's throat tightened up and she couldn't make a sound. Her chest became so tight it hurt. She curled up into the fetal position and rocked herself as she tried to calm herself down. Unfortunately nothing she did worked and her haunting memories that caused her fear of the dark came back.

 _"_ _Daddy, please let me out," a young Lucy cried banging on the door._

 _She could hear her brother's scream in pain as their father inflicted more damage on him._

 _"_ _Please, I'm hungry and scared," Lucy cried "I'm sorry I went to the police for help. I promise I won't do it again. Please I've been in here for days daddy."_

 _Lucy screamed when she felt something run across her legs. Her father had not only been starving her but he would throw different critters into the empty closet she was in to make her time in there more miserable. First it was bugs and last night he had tossed a couple rats in there._

 _"_ _Sting, I'm sorry!" Lucy cried when she heard another scream in pain. "I'm sorry Sting, I'm so sorry."_

 _"_ _All right princess it's time to come out," her dad said opening the closet door._

 _Lucy closed her eyes to the light as it burned them. She then felt something hot burn her hip and she cried out in pain. When she cracked her eyes open she saw that Sting was a bloody bruised mess. Lucy tried not to cry out in pain to the first punch she received to her side. The light burned her eyes so she closed them again and just took hit after her father gave her as punishment for trying to report his abuse to the police._

Lucy jumped when she heard the school bell. An hour had passed and none of her friends were able to find her. Tears were overflowing her eyes and her breathing was in ragged breaths. When her throat finally relaxed a little she took a deep breath.

"Natsu!" Lucy yelled rocking back and forth in the fetal position. "Natsu."

She couldn't tell if it was her imagination or if it was real but Lucy jumped up and screamed when she felt something crawl up her leg. Deciding enough was enough Lucy started to hit the door with her good arm. Even though she was still in the middle of a panic attack Lucy was determined to get out of the closet. She could hear her screams of frustration echo around her. When all the fight left her body she sunk down to her knees and tried the handle once more. This time it opened.

"Lucy?" she heard someone say.

She tried to keep her eyes open, but had to squint against the light. Her body was still shaking as arms enveloped her.

"Lucy, it's alright I'm here," Natsu said hugging her closer to his body.

"I was so scared Natsu," Lucy cried into his chest. "It was so dark in there."

"It's alright, you're not there anymore. You're not alone."

"Lucy who locked you in there?" Erza asked setting a hand on her head.

Lucy shook her head afraid to say who. She learned from that awful experience with her dad that if she tries to get help awful things will happen. When she looked up at Erza she had to blink a few times to get her eyes used to the light. It was then that she saw it wasn't just Erza and Natsu who were there, but also Gray, Lisanna, Gajeel and Levy. She saw someone else coming there way and her body shook more. Natsu sat down and pulled her into his lap. His thumbs lightly pushed away her tears and his eyes narrowed.

"Someone hit you," he said brushing her bruised cheek.

"I'm so glad you were able to find her," someone said behind her. "Sting has been blowing up my phone ever since I told him I saw Cobra snatch her and couldn't figure out where he took her.

It was then Lucy looked up and saw that Rogue had come in with Mira and Laxus.

"You told Sting that Cobra grabbed me?" Lucy asked Rogue.

"Duh, he would kill me if he found out I saw it happen and not tell him that I joined your friends to find you," Rogue said typing on his phone.

"Can we please go teach Cobra a lesson this time," Gajeel mumbled.

"We should wait until Sting comes back," Natsu said before he kissed Lucy on the forehead. "He will want a piece of him once he finds out he locked Lucy in a dark room by herself. You all know how scared she is of the dark."

"Natsu," Lucy said gripping his shirt tighter.

"Yeah?" Natsu said running his hand up and down her back.

"I've changed my mind. Let's ditch school today," Lucy said with a slight crack in her voice.

"Alright, but first you need to change out of your gym clothes."

"You're one to talk," Lucy replied gripping his gym shirt. "You're still wearing yours too."

Natsu leaned in closer to her so that she could feel his breath. When she looked into his eyes she blushed. She knew that her friends knew that she was in love with him, but she wasn't sure if he felt the same way.

"Oh, I can't wait for them to go out with each other," Mira squealed holding onto Laxus' arm.

Lucy blushed harder and she saw a pink tint across Natus' cheeks.

"Mira, what did we say about saying things like that out loud," Lisanna said shaking her head.

"But they would make such a cute couple," she pouted. "And I know I'm not the only one thinking this."

"Natsu let's go," Lucy whispered.

He nodded before he stood up carrying her away from their bickering friends.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Natsu set her down in front of the locker room. Even though neither of them wanted to be separated they both knew that Natsu would get in major trouble for entering the Girls Locker Room.

"I'll be right out here," Natsu said, "Or actually I'll meet you here since I need to change too."

"Okay," Lucy whispered looking down at the ground.

Lucy couldn't bring herself to look up at Natsu as tears welled up in her eyes. She hated crying because it not only made her look weak, but if she cried her father would always hit her more. The only person that could bring this side of her out was Natsu. The way he made her feel safe and protected caused her to let her walls down. When he lightly touched her chin to raise her face to him she couldn't help the urge inside of her to kiss him. Her eyes focused on her lips before she met his gaze.

"You know what screw it if I get caught," Natsu growled. "I'm coming in with you."

"Like the hell you are," Erza yelled. "In case you have forgotten none of us have changed out of our gym clothes yet."

"Yea, Lucy will be fine with us," Levy said stopping next to the blonde.

"Gray, make sure Natsu goes into the Boy's Locker Room only," Lisanna said patting Gray's shoulder.

"Come on idiot let's go," Gray mumbled grabbing his arm.

"Who are you calling an idiot!" Natsu yelled following him to the other side of the gym.

Lucy stood there watching Natsu walk away. She gripped her t-shirt tight in one hand until someone touched her shoulder.

"Come on Lucy," Lisanna said tucking her short white hair behind her ear.

The blonde nodded her head and followed her friend inside. Once they got inside they noticed that Erza and Levy were done changing.

"Those two always change so fast," Lucy grumbled walking to her locker.

"You two can go ahead to your class I'll stay here," Lisanna said. "I'm the only one with study hall at the moment anyways.

"Are you sure?" Erza asked shifting her bag on her shoulder.

"Yep," she said showing them with her hands.

"I'll see you later Lu," Levy said before she followed Erza out the door.

"Bye," Lucy said before she turned to face her locker.

Lucy glanced over her shoulder to see where Lisanna was. She saw that she was in front of her own locker getting ready to change. With a deep breath Lucy started to take her shirt. For the first time in three years Lucy got stuck while she was taking her shirt off. Since her arm was bent at the elbow in the cast in was hard to get out of a t-shirt. A lot harder than a tank top. She was caught with her hands above her head tangled up in the shirt.

"Lisanna help," Lucy cried as she walked into the locker behind her.

"Oh my God Lucy," Lisanna yelled when she saw her friend. "What happened?"

"I'm stuck," she replied ignoring the pain in her ribs.

"I meant your ribs."

Lucy felt Lisanna's fingers brush her bruises. She couldn't help the whimper that escaped her lips. Lisanna then help Lucy out of her shirt and gently forced Lucy to turn around so that she could see the bruises on her back.

"Is that...a handprint?" Lisanna asked touching her side. "Who did this to you."

"No one," Lucy responded trying to get her tank top on.

"Lucy, please don't lie to me."

"Look, Sting and I made a pact."

"So it's your dad," Lisanna said crossing her arms over her chest. "Why haven't you told anyone?"

"I...I tried, but it majorly backfired...it's the reason why I'm terrified of the dark," Lucy said as she shimmied out of her shorts.

"Well I've got your back, we can go report it together," Lisanna said going back to her locker to put her shirt on.

"No!" Lucy yelled almost tripping over her pajama pants. "We can't."

"But Lucy, look at what he did to you."

"You can't tell anyone," Lucy said her body starting to shake again. "Please you can't tell anyone, especially Natsu."

Lisanna looked at her friend and saw how terrified she was at the mention of reporting her father to the authorities.

"Okay, but maybe we could have a safe word in case you feel like you really can't deal with his abuse," Lisanna said while she put her jeans on.

"A safe word?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah, I'll keep your secret until you text me the word," Lisanna said pulling her phone out. "But first we need to get some photos.

"No photos, but a word would be fine."

"Alright, what's the word you want to use?" Lisanna sighed a bit disappointed.

"How about pepper," Lucy said putting her backpack on.

"Okay, so if you shout or yell pepper I will call for help," Lisanna said with a small smile. "Just stay safe."

"I'll try."

Lucy took a deep breath before she took her phone out of her jacket pocket. A small smile spread across her face when she saw a message from Sting.

 **Go ahead and spend the night at Natsu's. I'll cover for you tonight before I kick Cobra's ass. How bad was your panic attack? ~S**

 **Bad, still trying to calm down. Natsu and I are ditching the rest of today. I remembered the closet. ~ L**

 **Shit, I want Natsu to kick his ass right now. ~S**

 **I need him now though Sting. I'm super scared. I need him and Plue. ~L**

 **I made you cry didn't I? ~S**

 **Nastu will comfort me. ~L**

Lucy put her phone away before she stepped out of the gym. The first thing she saw was Cobra's gang of friends eyeing her. Natsu was nowhere to be seen and the panic inside her started to rise. Tears started to form in her eyes as she tried to get a grip on her breathing.

"You just couldn't wait to see me could you?" Cobra said from her left.

Lucy tried to stay calm, but she couldn't help the small steps she was taking to the boy's locker room. Suddenly Cobra was on her pushing her up against the wall.

"Don't you dare walk away from me when you belong to me," Cobra growled.

"Like hell I do!" Lucy yelled.

Cobra slapped her face with the back of his hand before he grabbed her jaw tightly. He then gripped harder as he forced his lips against hers. Lucy tried to shove him off with her good arm but it was to no good. Just when she was about to bring her knee in contact with his body he was suddenly off of her. Natsu stood in front of her with Gray on his right side. She noticed that Cobra was holding his right cheek.

"Stay the hell away from Lucy if you know what's good for you," Natsu snarled.

Lucy's body was shaking so hard that she couldn't remain standing. Her body shrank to the ground as new tears filled her eyes. She felt someone touch her shoulder and she jumped. There was hurt in his eyes from the reaction she had.

"Gray I'm sorry, I'm just so overwhelmed," Lucy said as she watched Cobra's friends run to his aid.

"It's okay, stay here while we take care of them."

Lucy nodded her head as she watch Gray roll his sleeves up to join Natsu in the fight that was about to take off. She closed her eyes not wanting to see what was to come when all of a sudden a long wet tongue licked her face. Her eyes opened wide as she saw Plue in front of her.

"Alright what's going on here?" Gildarts asked eyeing the guys around the hall.

"Nothing," Cobra mumbled before he and his friends took off.

Gildarts nodded his head and turned to Natsu and said, "So, am I to assume you and Lucy are going to have fun today?"

"How did you know?" Natsu asked turning to Lucy pleased that she was now smiling because of her dog.

"I believe it's hard for my daughter to keep information like this a secret."

"Cana and her big mouth," Lucy grumbled.

"Can you stand Luce?" Natsu asked picking her up.

"Why do you ask if you're just going to carry me anyways?" Lucy grumbled tucking her head into his shoulder.

"So that you won't hit me," he whispered.

"Dork."

"Only for you," Natsu chuckled.

Lucy nodded her head as she closed her eyes. After everything that had happened her body suddenly felt drained of energy.

"Come on Plue," Nastu said looking down at the dog.

When Lucy woke up she had a strong arm wrapped around her waist. She took a deep breath and smiled at the cinnamon and forest scent. Lucy smiled as she felt Natsu's grip on her tighten. As she closed her eyes again she heard Plue whimper. With a sigh Lucy got up out of his comfy bed to go take care of her dog. Plue jumped up when he saw her get up and gently nudged her her hand. Lucy glanced back at the bed and saw that Natsu's blue cat Happy was curled up by Natsu's head.

"Come on Plue," Lucy whispered as to not wake up Natsu, "Let's go get you outside."

Quietly Lucy and Plue made their way down the stairs. Once Plue was outside Lucy went to the laptop Natsu left downstairs. She quickly logged onto his favorite pizza site and ordered enough pizza for the both of them. Hawaiian pizza for her and pepperoni, onion, sausage, and jalapeño for Natsu. After putting the charge on her card Lucy moved to the couch to wait for Natsu to get up or the pizza to arrive whichever came first. While she sat she put her fingers to her lips and remembered the encounter with Cobra. She glanced down at the end of the couch and saw that Natsu had put her backpack and phone there.

 **Cobra stole my first kiss :(~L**

 **He what?~S**

 **He was mad that I wasn't where he left me. Cobra slapped me before he forced me a kiss on me.**

 **Are you fucking kidding me?~S**

A tear slipped from her eye as she stared at her phone screen.

 **You and I both know I wanted Natsu to be my first just like you want Yukino to be your first.~L**

Lucy looked away from her phone when she heard Natsu's phone go off.

 **Did you just text Natsu?~L**

 **That isn't any of your business. Just make sure you get a good nights sleep. Who knows how long dad will be home for this time.~S**

 **Let me know if it's really bad~L**

 **I will~S**

 **Oh and the place I went to today we can't go to anymore. One of the nurses recognized me.~L**

 **We might need to start going to places out of town.~S**

"Why are you crying?" Natsu asked grabbing Lucy's attention.

"Oh, I was just telling Sting that Cobra stole my first kiss and it really upset me."

"How about you consider this your first kiss," he said before he bent down and lightly captured her lips.

At first she was shocked, but it didn't take her long to react. With her good arm she brought it up to wrap around his neck to bring him closer as she gripped his hair. She felt his hands run down her body before they stopped at her waist. A smile formed on her lips when she felt his tongue run across her lips asking for entry which she granted. Lucy squeaked when she felt his hands grip her butt before he lifted her up so that he could sit down with her on his lap. Whenever she was within Natsu's arms she felt at peace. Having his lips on hers made her feel like she was the most precious person in the world. All felt right in the world while his lips were on her. When she heard Plue bark to come inside she groaned. She heard Natsu sigh before pulled away. He then gently set her to the side before he got up and let Plue back in.

"So what do you want to watch?" Natsu asked watching Plue jump onto the couch next to his blonde friend.

"What are my choices?" Lucy asked.

"We have the Little Mermaid, Frozen, and Quest for Camelot," Natsu said holding the dvds.

"But you don't really like those movies."

"Well, I know that you enjoy them and you've had a rough day." Natsu shrugged.

"Can we watch Frozen then?" Lucy said practically bouncing in place.

"Of course," Natsu laughed putting the dvd in.

When he sat down next to her Lucy curled into his side. Lucy noticed that his cheeks had a tint of pink to it, which caused her to blush. She smiled when she thought of the kiss that happened between them. This was something she would have to tell Levy especially if it meant that Natsu felt the same way about her.


	5. Chapter 5

_Hey everyone, sorry it's taken me so long to update this story. I've been dealing with sexual harassment in my work place and have been mentally drained by the end of the day since it's been reported and then found out he was spreading rumors to his coworkers at a new location that it was just all in my imagination last week. Anyways I hope you like this newest chapter and don't be afraid to let me know what you think!_

Chapter 5

"Natsu, why are you and Lucy home and not at school?" Wendy asked as she dropped her backpack off by the door.

"Because we decided that school is lame," Natsu replied.

"Natsu!" Lucy yelled slapping his chest.

"What it's true," Natsu yelled getting up when he saw the gleam in Lucy's eye.

"No it isn't! It's a place to get a great education to help us in the future!"

Lucy then got up off the couch and chased Natsu. Laughter from Wendy filled the air as Lucy chased through the family room into the kitchen. Natsu had his signature grin on his face as he tried to avoid his blonde friend. When Nastu started to run up the stairs Lucy followed him. However half way up the stairs her foot landed halfway on the step and she slipped. Nastu turned around at the sound of her yelp and was terrified at the scene he saw. Lucy fell hard the arm in the cast hit first before her head slammed into the wall.

"Lucy!" Natsu yelled running down the stairs.

"I'm okay," Lucy mumbled biting her lip. "Just get me the Vicodin the doctor gave me this morning."

Her breathing started to come in ragged breaths as it became more painful to breathe. Not only did her arm and head throb but her bruised ribs tribes in pain too. After Nast handed her the open bottle Lucy dumped two pills into her hand and tossed them into her mouth. She then downed the water Wendy handed her. When she saw Natsu narrow his eyes at her she knew he caught onto what she did.

"Luce, why did I just see you take two pills?" Natsu said taking the glass away from her. "You know that you have a low tolerance for pain meds."

"No I don't," Lucy said starting to get up but winced in pain.

"Don't move, let me help you," Natsu mumbled scooping her up in his arms "and you're a total lightweight."

"Am not!" Lucy argued and before she could say anything else Natsu cover her lips with his.

"If you would like to continue arguing I'd be more than happy to continue to drown those complaints with my lips," Nastu smirked.

Lucy's face was bright red. She so desperately wanted to say something back to have him kiss her again, but she was too shy to actually do it. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Wendy covering her eyes. Her blush seemed to deepen when she looked back at Natsu and she was a rose tint across his cheeks. She then pouted as he carried her to the couch.

"Don't pout just because I'm right," Natsu teased.

"We'll see," Lucy grumbled taking a deep breath.

Fifteen minutes later Lucy was groaning while she laid on her good sighed. Natsu ran his fingers through her hair and frowned. At that moment Lucy was mentally cursing herself. Why did she take two pills when she was told to take one every six hours.

"Natsu is Lucy okay?" Wendy asked sitting down in a chair was was next to Lucy's feet.

"Yes, she's fine just regretting taking two Vicodon at the moment," Nastu replied massaging her scalp.

"Make the room stop spinning," Lucy whined flipping over so that her head was now facing Natsu on his lap.

"It's not spinning," Natsu sighed. "Wendy can you grab her some more water?"

"Of course," Wendy shot up and ran to the kitchen.

The sound of a phone beeping drew Lucy's attention. She rolled over and reached for her cell phone. When she tried to read the screen her eyes wouldn't focus and she whined in frustration. Without her asking Natsu grabbed her phone and started to read all of the messages that were being sent her way.

"Natsu what are they saying?" Lucy asked draping her arm across her eyes.

"You don't want to know," Natsu answered.

Lucy removed her arm from across her eyes and spotted Natsu grabbing his own phone as he started to get messages. Wendy then arrived with the water and Lucy quickly handed Wendy her phone.

"Wendy what do my texts say?" Lucy asked not giving Natsu a chance to say anything.

"They are asking why Sting is back early from his school trip and beating Cobra up at school?"

"He's what?" Lucy yelled jumping up. She put her arm out to help her balance. Her eyes then started to search for her shiny keys. When she found them she was about to grab them before Natsu's wrapped around them snatching them out of her reach. Lucy used her good arm to hit him before trying to grab her keys. Since it still felt like the room was spinning Lucy became unsteady on her feet. Natsu quickly grabbed her waist before she could fall. She gave him a small smile as a thank you before she grabbed her keys from him.

"Luce don't even think for one second that I'm going to let you drive yourself to school," Natsu growled grabbing her wrist.

"But Sting is in the middle of a fight with Cobra," Lucy said her eyes filling up with tears. She knew he was doing this for her but she was thinking about what their dad would do when he found out.

"Come on Luce, you and I both know that your brother can handle himself on his own," he said wrapping her up in his arms as her body started to shake.

"I feel awful," Lucy mumbled into his chest.

"How about we sit down and watch the Little Mermaid," Natsu said turning the T.V. on.

Lucy sighed and shook her head saying, "I think I can use another nap."

She squeaked when Natsu smiled while he picked her up. Without words she knew that he was going to join her in her nap. At a young age Lucy learned that it was impossible to stop Natsu from joining her when she slept. Once her mom died and her father's abuse got worse Lucy actually enjoyed having Natsu share a bed with her. It was the only time she actually felt safe and could relax when he wasn't trying to get her to tell him how she got some of her injuries.

"Will you tell me how you really broke your arm today?" Natsu asked as he set her down on his bed.

"You already know the answer."

"Wait for two more years and then you will tell me," Natsu sighed. "I don't like that."

"I'm sorry," Lucy said as tears overflowed her eyes and streaked down her face. "I want to tell you but I can't because I made a promise and you know how much a promise means to me."

"I do, and I will be here for you whenever you need me," Natsu said kissing her lips gently.

"When I tell you...if you're not mad at me…" Lucy started but stopped when her face turned red.

"If I'm not mad at you what?"

"Maybe we can...um...make what we have official," Lucy finished with her head buried in his shoulder.

"In two years from now you will be mine," Natsu growled before capturing her lips once more.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

When Lucy woke up the first thing she did was look for her phone. In the comfort of Natsu's arms she moves her head trying to see if she could spot it but then she remembered that it was down stairs. Carefully I unwound Natsu's arms from around me and got out of the bed. She had almost made it to the door when strong arms caught her around the the waist.

"Where do you think you're going?" Natsu asked.

"I want to see my phone."

Nastu groaned as he grabbed her hands and spun her to face him. When Lucy looked up into his eyes she could tell that he was worried about her. Guilt once again started to consume her as she remembered him asking about her arm. Ever since her mom died she continually had to lie to her best friend about the bruises, broken bones, and concussions she got. Every time she lied to him it broke a small part of her. Lucy then wrapped her good arm around him and hugged him.

"I want to make sure Sting is alright," she whispered.

"Okay, but you're still spending the night here," Natsu mumbled against her neck.

"Fine, but I want to watch the Little Mermaid before we watch Transformers."

"Okay, but I get something in return."

"And what's that?"

Natsu answered by sealing her lips with his. Lucy couldn't help but smile before he pulled away. For the first time in a long time Lucy felt content. She finally understood where both her's and Natsu's feelings were and was happy that he respected the fact that she didn't want anything to happen between them yet. Deep down Lucy knew she couldn't start a relationship with Nastu if she was keeping a big secret from him. When his hand brushed her ribs she held her breath hoping he wouldn't notice that it hurt her. Holding her breath she waited until Natsu got comfortable on the couch and she molded her body against his. Her phone dinged with a message and she slowly got up off of Natsu to go look at it. A cold chill ran down her spine when she saw that it was from her father.

 **If you aren't home in the next hour your brother will get a worse punishment than what you got this morning ~Bastard**

When she was about to respond she got another message.

 **Don't come home, I'll be fine. I can take whatever he dishes ~S**

 **No, I'm coming home even if I have fight Natsu on it ~L**

"Natsu, I have to go home now," Lucy sighed. "I wish I could spend the night, but Sting needs help with his homework."

She could see the disappointment in his eyes. Slowly she got up off the couch and tugged his arm. Reluctantly Nastu got up. Lucy felt a chill run down her spine when she heard someone try to open the front door.

"Can you watch Plue for a couple days?" Lucy asked.

"Of course," Natsu replied.

"I'm really sorry Natsu, but he really needs me."

"It's okay, I understand since you help me all the time. I also have work early tomorrow morning, so I guess it's a good thing that you're not spending the night," Natsu sighed. "Will I see you at the cafe tomorrow?"

"I'll try. You know I'm a sucker for your chai tea lattes," Lucy laughed.

"I only got that job because I know how much you like the cafe and the owner lets me give you my employee discount," Natsu said cupping her face.

Lucy held her breath as she left his house. She was happy that Natsu drove her car to his house, but dreaded the drive home. The whole way home her mind kept imagining the worst things possible her dad could do to her. When she remembered the threatening text her father sent she put more pressure on the gas pedal to get there faster. Her heart was racing by the time she got home. She bit the inside of her cheek to ground herself before walking up. Before she could get the key in the front door it opened.

"There you are you fucking slut get in here," her father growled grabbing her broken arm and yanking her inside.

"I'm sorry I'm late father," Lucy said looking down at the ground. "I was working on a project with friends and lost track of time."

The sound of his slap across her face echoed through the entry way. Lucy kept her eyes downcast as tears entered her eyes from the pain. It wasn't until her father grabbed her chin that she looked up, but still avoided his face.

"You will look at me when I talk to you," he growled.

Lucy didn't say anything. She could see the anger in his eyes and knew that whatever she said would make things worse. He then grabbed the back of her head and dragged her to a room she never entered. It then dawned on her that he was about to put her in the closet. She started to scream and fight to get away from him scared of being in that dark space alone. Jude then punched her hard in the stomach which gave him enough time to shove her into the closet. Closing her eyes she tried to imagine herself in her safe place. She was almost there until she heard a hissing noise.

"No!" she screamed pounding on the door. "Let me out! I promise to be good. Dad please let me out!"

"You will stay in there until I say so," her father growled. "I got a call from a business friend of mine that you got his nephew injured by your friends. It cost me a business deal today."

"Dad, he attacked me. They were only protecting me from him," she pleaded.

"Just enjoy the snakes I put in there for you."

"Is Sting okay? Please tell me he's okay?"

"He's fine for now."


	7. Chapter 7

_Hey, so I was told that there was a glitch when I updated earlier. Hopefully it updates correctly this time. Hope you enjoy the new chapter and always feel free to let me know what you think. Thanks again for your support._

Chapter 7

Lucy sat in the corner of the closet. There were a couple places on her body that hurt from where the snakes bit her. She jumped when she felt a mouse run across her feet and prayed that the snakes wouldn't mistake that part of her body as pray again. Hugging her legs tighter against her chest she bit her lip trying not to concentrate on the dark that surrounded her. Her ears picked up the sound of the door opening and held her breath. The light that peeked through burned her eyes. Squeezing her eyes shut her heart began to race in panic at the thought of not knowing what was coming for her. She screamed in pain when she felt someone grab her hair and start to drag her out of the closet.

"Time to come out," her father growled before letting her go.

Before she could recover she felt his foot connect with her ribs. Opening her eyes she saw that he had a bag packed and was relieved when she saw that he had his bags packed. When she felt him kick her head she saw black for a moment. Grunting she moved her good arm to her head. Feeling something slick flow into the crease of her elbow Lucy held her breath.

"I'm going to be gone for a month, so make sure the house is spotless when I come back," her father sneered as he walked out of the room.

Lucy stayed on the floor until she heard the front door close. With shaky legs Lucy got up from the ground. Looking up she saw that Sting was standing in the doorway. She could see the guilt written on his face. Shaking her head she stumbled over to him. When he wrapped his arms around her she slightly winced but hugged him back. Lucy felt his body begin to shake. Leaning back she looked into his eyes.

"Sting this wasn't your fault," she whispered wiping a tear away.

"I promised myself that I would never let you get locked in that closet again, but I failed you," Sting replied. "You were in there for four days."

"What about school?"

"I told them you were home sick with the flu."

"How did Natsu take that?"

"He didn't believe me, but dropped it when Lisanna stepped in."

Taking a deep breath she closed her eyes. "Can you go get Plue?"

"Of course," Sting replied "but are you sure you are going to be okay by yourself?"

"As long as the lights are on yes," Lucy replied.

Slowly she made her way up to her room. Ignoring the pain her body screamed Lucy was determined to make it her bathroom. Looking into the mirror she took a good look at herself. Her eyes were rimmed with red and swollen from tears. On her right side her blonde hair was starting to begin to turn red with blood. She looked at the few snakebites she got and was glad to see that they weren't infected. Slowly she started to take off her clothes and looked at the bruises that coated her body. Just by seeing the new red marks on her body Lucy knew that they were going to turn into new bruises. Carefully she covered her cast so that she could take a shower. She groaned when she felt the warm water hit her shoulders. Leaning her head back she felt the cut on her head sting when the water ran over it. Deep down she wished that she could tell someone and end her nightmare, but the thought of going back into that closet made her shiver. A knock on the door drew her attention away from the pain.

"Come in," she said gently rubbing the shampoo into her scalp.

"Hey, Sting told me you were probably ready to have visitors," Lisanna said walking in.

"Oh, thanks for coming."

"Luce, what did he do to you?"

"Uh, do you have your camera?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"Please help me dress…" Lucy said biting her lip thinking things over "and then maybe you can take some photos."

Lucy heard her suck in a breath and ask, "How bad is it?"

She didn't say anything as she finished her shower. Lucy could feel Lisanna's curiosity rise through her silence. Stepping out of the shower she heard Lisanna gasp before she wrapped her body in a towel. Carefully she dried her body off and tried not to let out a painful cry. Lisanna motioned for her to sit down on the edge of the tub. Lisanna held up a pair of shorts and helped Lucy into them. Lucy then folded the towel until it was just big enough to cover her breasts while showing her stomach. Quickly Lisanna took pictures of Lucy's body zooming in on the snake bites and the wound on her head. After Lisanna helped Lucy into a baggy black shirt they walked over to her bed.

"Are you wanting me to do anything with the photos?"

"I want you to make a file with evidence of my dad's abuse," Lucy whispered. "We have to keep it a secret from everyone. Especially Sting and Natsu."

"Why are we keeping it a secret? With the pictures I took right now it should be enough for you two to press charges," she replied carefully wrapping an arm around Lucy's shoulder.

"I...I'm afraid to do anything right now," Lucy answered her lip trembling. "His abuse is getting worse...and I was just released from the closet again."

"He locked you in a closet?" Lisanna practically yelled.

"Shhh, Sting doesn't know you know and yes," Lucy said jumping from her outburst. "This time he had snakes and rats in there."

"Is that why you are afraid of the dark?"

"Yeah, he locked me in there for two weeks one time when I tried to go to the police for help. It was my punishment while I also had to hear him beat Sting everyday. It's why Sting and I made a pact to report his abuse the day we turn eighteen, but I...I feel like Sting might be the only one to make it to that day, and if I'm right I want you to give the file to the police to save Sting from my dad's abuse," Lucy said a tear slipping down her cheek. "I know we have a safe word but between my dad and Cobra I feel like something horrible is going to happen."

"Hey, Laxus' grandfather is the chief of police. You could go directly to him."

"Give him the file if something happens to me," Lucy cried. "Can you do something else for me too?"

"Of course," Lisanna said giving her a light squeeze.

"I'm going to write a letter to Natsu telling him everything. Whether something happens to me or if I say the safe word will you give it to him?"

"Wouldn't you want to tell him in person?"

"I'm too ashamed to tell him."

"Okay, I promise to tell him," Lisanna said standing up. "But first you should get some rest before you write that letter. From what I can tell you are going to be emotionally drained by the end of that letter."

"Thank you for everything?" Lucy gave her a small smile.

"You know our group of friends. We'd go to the end of the world for each other," Lisanna laughed trying to brighten the mood.

"Of course," Lucy smiled. "So, how are you and Bickslow?"

"Now that is a story for another day."

"Mira tease and beg it out of you?"

"You know she did," Lisanna said shaking her head.

"Well, don't tell her or anyone but Natsu and I kissed when we were last together," Lucy told her blushing.

"Oh my god, I so want to hear the details but I can totally tell that you need sleep," Lisanna whined.

"I'll tell you the day I give you the letter to give to Natsu."

"Deal."


End file.
